Delinquent and Viral

Morgan gets it

I was sitting at a table with a very talented, up-and-coming musical artist.  His name is Morgan Ross and he is the lead singer and founding member of the Birds of Wales.

We've selected them as a partner on an engagement marketing roadmap - a transparent approach to connecting them with their audience utilizing social networking and other tools.

I hope you all get a chance to meet this young man.  He is intelligent, heartfelt, and cares about the people around him.  And he is talented.  But what is most surprising is his savvy regarding social networking.

 

  I can spend an hour on MySpace or I can waste an hour doing anything else. Postering. Promoting. You name it. Nothing compares to that hour I spend on MySpace.
  - Morgan Ross  

I spoke to him for some time about blurring the lines between traditional websites.  Much like Jonathon Coulton is doing.  Or the latest news post from Sigur Ros that allows their fanbase to download "cover" tunes of their work by other artists.  (My favorite is a choir doing "Untitled 1".)

We are collecting baseline data and will share the results and tactics in later posts. 

Viral Me Up, Baby.

Ok.  So not too long ago I joined a Viral Announcement email listserv.  I thought, "Hey, Sean, you can be notified immediately whenever anyone launches a cool new viral campaign!"

Someone SHOOT me.

While I love the sprite-like flash games as much as the next guy (read: there is a reason Colleco Vision is no longer around), I have to wonder when Viral became nothing more than a game on a website.

P.S.  The one source I watch that ISN'T like my rant above is ViralMeister. Check 'em out. Great blog.

Social Networking Just for Delinquents?

If anyone can direct me to the source of this tidbit, I would GREATLY appreciate it.  Because it is WAY too insightful and brilliant so I must have read it somewhere.

Basically, something I was reading took the position that Social Networking sites like MySpace and YouTube help to fill the loitering gap for a good portion of our youth.

It's getting next to impossible for kids to just "hang" anymore. Malls, pizza parlors and even parks are all off limits to non-paying customers.  It's fine to be in any of these places, but not necessarily if you are a youth.  And certainly not if you aren't actively spending cash.  But online, <b>anyone</b> can hang around as long as you want. 

Some of the online behaviors do gain a different light when viewed under this lens.  Take the growing adoption of group communication features (like on Myspace). Just as you would chat with your friends when loitering at the corner or hanging at the mall.

It caused me to think differently about a transition we've been witnessing from the interaction design models we've used in the past.  The desires of users are no longer so easily modeled as "task-based".

The simplest, most direct or fastest way to accomplish something is not always the driving force.  Rather, it's often about the feel, the fit, and the fun.  And perhaps it's now about supporting an experience that is in itself fulfilling.

ie: It's not about whether they accomplished a task.  It's about the experience they had.  Period.

Photo Credit: 'Orange Skies Cotton Candy and You' on Flickr